Connecting rod for locomotives



May 8, 1928.

H. SWOYER CONNECTING ROD FOR LOCOMOTIVES Amm Mx. f a 1 4 4 Patented May 8, 1928.

vU STATES enr-'ENT t. oFFioE..

HARRY. sWoYER, .or DUNKIRK, NEW Yonx'.

CONNECTINGROD FOR LOCOMOTIVES'.

Arpvplication filed *.April 17,` 1925;? Ser-ia! No. 23,958'.

. My inventiony relates.- toi mailer-.ods as Vused onf locomotive enginesand; lilasVA for; its object an improvement; in: klesign` wherebyV the Vdistortiony of the rod. andithecramping of., the

.5 back end crank pin'J bearing are" relieved.

Althnugh primarily."cl'esigned tof meet.` the conditions-.1of:the.Y center main: reid of" threecylinder locomotives, my. inzventionhissequally applicable; tot. the outside rodsiofr lmth-A two arrdf threemylinder logeomotivesf. As "thefbafck end. oiifthe main` rodtbny.' reasom offi'ts attachmentitozthe;` main crank pin; is: s'ubjectwto movements resulting from' lateral play-and traclrf irregularities,. `and .lits-5. front endf` is: at-

tached, toA the erosshead' which) forms E`a' part o' theak spring `suspendedv structurefofr: tilie locomotive;` it is: apparent that. some: provisiony for 'ai..limitedf. lamount of' flexibility .in tliewmain rod isfnecessany in; order tospre- -1 vent the bearings; from crampingfy on: ktheir pins` when the'l rodv is; requiredzto assume angularrpositions. i f y p To l meet'4 these: Condit-ions It have provided an mechanism( which isfmuehx simpler of construction: andi easier ot. manipnlationtthan p thefmechamsms-now 1n use, isproduct-wefof `greater services from:loeomotives'fl and; at; the r samer tiine results 1h decreasedg maintenance lcosts;A The; improvement-.cimmed islierein- 30.2 after fully: sety forth; y

In'i the` accompanyangi drawings .Figure 1 iss au side view;` im elexmtiong ot. a. locomotive, Ashowing diagrammaticallvthe applicationgo the invention 'thereto ;:-Figr. 2; a: viewtpartly inv` verticalfsection, andf partly inside elevation; .ofi a: mainf rodembodying the invention; Eig. 3 ayp'leny, viewi` thereofeghalfain section gllligg v4,11 View, haltin elevation; .amd half'. in;` section, of the, rearendx of' the,r4 rod;

40s Figs. 5 andi 6,-, sides; elevationsi, respectively,

ofv tlieirear end of thefr'od, andi of theiolosure member-for the openingf in thejupper. side of theicranlr seatin thefrodf; endg. Figs.. 7:, .Stand 95. perspectivevi'evvsl respectifvely.. lof thextwo 451 piece bushing holdem of the cnanlnpinA bush-l ing; and of; oney ofthe taper. sleeves. used 1 to 1. secure; tightnesszin thebolt fastening.; .s

In the: practice. off my invention, referring l..

descriptiveljy. to. the i speci'o embodiment.

50,? thereof;v which is herein. exemplied,. the

.mainirodif imits haelt; end. hasg seatrlQb terilinerr n The closure. memlo'rr..` 3 has f upon. its .under the .bolts 4,' the f drawing 4ends L'of which seat in tapered sleeves 6 in(` registering tapered apertures; in. therclosure 3 and back endf 2?. 'lhei crank pinrbearing or.v bushing 7 kispreferablyfcomprisedk of` a s number; of segments,

three beingirsliown in' kFig:y 8i, and hasits outersurace turned sphericallytoumatch the. spherical inner surface'.y 8FL off' the helder 8;. which; as shown in. Figui@may` be: made two. parts meeting on. its horizontal? cen-Y side two shoulders Sawhich have af. bearing agadnsiitheY straight face: upper*v portions 'f 2c oii the sides` of; the rod; seat ,2h andi act' to maintain-the sidesLof. seatintheproper spaced', relation, and? the; closure 3 in` proper endiof. the;.r0d'.: The clos-uref member isialso providedwitli.I endlugsal? which-.have a: bearng: against the inclined faces 2d of the,y rod ody.- f. The sleevesl 6.,.. which` prefer-ably have. internal as, Well; as. externa-l tapers,.. arewinserted,fromi the top; vthrough the 'tapered` holes 53?: inuthe closure Siand; extendiintol the upper tapered: portions.k offfthe .rbojlt' holeslin thexrod body,x.whileithe' Alooltsi'lt andi 5.: arev inserted from therbottomi of thel rod/bod through the bolt holes and sleevesl` Itjwi bef seen that as a; bolt` is drawn: upfby ai nut 4i* or 5:41; the,tapere'dssleeveiwilli be` forced downwardly and; thus.` an` extremelyi tight holtronnectionawill loesA formed; which at. the sametime enea which; can. be' readilydis- .connected-` "llhe interior: ofil the sleevesyis the boltsnthusz causingjthef sleeves to grip' the boltsetightlyi. llheupper extremities .of the sleeves are. threaded: at?y 69 for the application of nuts r92, It will be rseenl: that the screwing downs offthe nuts-ffl onthe` sleeves will tend! to Withdraw `the sleeves from their ta ered for tlief'orank pin bearing@` Whichiisiopemat holes'and efecttheloosening-oftheszeeves the topx. 'lheatop opening' is closed; byV the closiirefmember 39. secumd: to.; thef4 rody 2f by Grupon. the boltsf/i' and. 5;

thea bushing; 7s `isi not .seet'ed te the alignment. withlthe.; opening.`Y andi .the `back holder 8 which surrounds it, it is free to turn with the crank pin by reason of its spherical outer face 7, while maintaining a correct it of the bearing on the crank pin l2 and permitting the body of the rod meanr while to turn freely with the rolling of the engine. The holder S which surrounds the bushing 7 and lits into the opening of the rod is somewhat narrower than the bushing 7, but its side faces are built out with rings 8 ofa bearing metal so as to provide a more extended bearing for the bushing 7. The

holder 8 has inclined or downwardly Haring faces 8b which converge toward the top of the holder, and also flanges 8d on all four sides, which overlap the sides of the rod and of the closure. In assembling the-mechanism, as the holder 8 is split on its horizontal center line its lower half is first yplaced in the rod opening. The bushing is then assembled in position on the crank A pin and the upper half of the holder is then applied The lower portion of the rear face of the rod seat 2b is inclined slightly to the vertical, soy that the bottom of the open- .ing is wider than the top. A wedge l0 is inserted between the tapered vforward face '8b of the holder 8 and thc vertical face at the forward-side of the seat 2b. Bearing upon the wedge 10 is the wedge bolt ll, the rotation of which when 4the closure 3 has been bolted on, moves the wedge l0 downwardly, which by reason'of its wedging engagement between the forward face of the seat 2l and the tapered forward face 8b of the holder forces the holder rearwardly into snug engagement with the inclined face on the rod at the rear of the seat 2" thereby taking up all lost motion between the rod and holder.

In each corner of the holder 8 its edges 8k engage the closure 3 or rod 2 and form a triangular space which is utilized as a vlubricant reservoir 8e into which lubricant may be fed from a. grease cup 2" on the back of the rod or.l from cup 3d on the closure 3.

.Each reservoir has suitable communicating grooves 8f, 8g and 8h for the reception and distribution of the lubricant.

My invention is particularly' useful when applied to they center main rod of 'threecylinder locomotives, since where it is de-y sired to remove the rod for any purpose dis connection of the bolts 4Ll and 5 willy permit Athe rod to be dropped away from the center crank pin. Further, when my invention is used for outside rods it is not necessary to disturb the eccentric crank pin. as in this case also the removal of the bolts 4 and 5 will permit the rod to be dropped directly away from the crank pin. The'use of the spherical vfloating bushing contemplated with my improved structure results in a flexibility which produces a more efficient bearing Contact on the pin by allowing the rod to oscillate to compensate for the rolling of the locomotive and so greatly diminish the need of bearing maintenance.

The invention claimed as new and desired to be secured byLetters Patent is 1. A rod for locomotives for connecting a source of power to a driven axle, having at its rear end a horizontally and transversely extendingy aperture open from one side; a holder within said aperture; a closure for the open side of said aperture; a crank pin on the driven axle connected to the rod in said aperture; and means between crank pin and rod for permitting oscillatory movement therebetween.

2. A rod for locomotives for connecting a source of power to a driven axle, having at its rear'end a` horizontally and. transversely extending aperture open from one side; a. closure for the open side of said aperture; a crank pin on the driven axle connectedto the rod in said aperture; means between crank pin and rod for permittingoscillatory movement therebetween.; means for securing the closure to the rod body comprising flexible tapered sleeves seating in registering apertures in the closure and rod body, and bolts seating in said apertures fand sleeves.

8. A rod for locomotivesfor connecting a sourceof power to a driven axle; having at its rear end a horizontally 4and transversely extending aperture open from one side; a closurev for they open side of 'said aperture; a crank pin on the driven axle connectedto the rod in said aperture; means between crank pin and rod` for permitting oscillatory movement therebetween, said means comprising a fioating bushing einbracing the crank pin and having a spherical exterior; a two-part holder having a spherical inner surface engaging the spherical exterior surface of the bushing, the two parts of the holder meeting substantially on the horizontal axis of the rod. v

4. A rod' for locomotives for connecting a source of power to a driven axle; having at y its rear end a horizontally-extending aperture open from'one side; a closure for the open side of said aperture; a crank pin on the driven axle connected to the rod in said aperture; means between crank pin and rod for permitting oscillatory movement therebetween, said means comprisin a floating bushing embracing the crank" pin and having a spherical exterior; a two-part holder having a spherical inner surface engaging the spherical exterior surfacev of the bushing, the two parts of the holder meeting substantially on the horizontal axis of the rod, thefholder `having cavities for the supply of lubricant to the bushing and channels leading therefrom through the bushing, said cavities also having supply channels extending to the exterior of the mechanism.

5. A rod for locomotives for connecting a source of power toa driven axle, having 'at its rear end a horizontally-extending aper-` ture open from one side; 'a closure for the open 51de of said aperture; a crank pin on c the driven axle connected to the rod n Said aperture; means'between crank pin and rod for permitting oscillatory movement v therebetween, said means comprising afloating bushing embracing the crank pin and` 1U having a spherical exterior; a holder havinga spherical' inner face engaging the :'qpherieal exterior surface of the bushing,

drawing thev wedge into tight engagement between said Wall and said face and therelby locking the holder in therod.

HARRY SWOYER. 

